Inference
by kimcat
Summary: Maddie finds a little girl down an alley who sets off all their ghost equipment... And she looks just like Danny. A Phic-Phight 2019 prompt


A/N: Here is the second one I'm bringing over from the april 2019 Phic-Phight. I hope you enjoy. Once again this is only loosely edited so plese let me know of any glaring errors if you happen across them. Also, please R&R ^_^

**Original prompt: **Maddie finds a little girl down an alley who sets off all their ghost equipment. And she looks just like Danny**.**

** Character list: **Maddie, Dani, Jack, Phantom

** Categories: **Fluff mostly.

** Warnings: **None.

** Total word count: **3,150

* * *

Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep.. .BeBeBeBe-

Maddie looked up from the tracker she was using for her current game of spectral hot and cold just in time to see a white glowing figure descend behind a building.

"In pursuit. Corner of Chestnut and Pine." She said into her earpiece allowing her husband to know where she was, in case backup was required.

An overly excitable "Affirmative baby!" Came back through.

Maddie took off in the direction she'd last seen the ghost and found herself standing in the mouth of a small alleyway between two shops. She barely caught a glimpse of a dying flash of light as she moves deeper into the shadowed cover.

A crash echoed around the vacant alley, but Maddie could no longer see the telltale glow from the ghost she was following, yet the radar showed there was still one nearby. Maddie looked about the alley hoping to instead locate where the sound had come from. Another clang evoked her attention and she drew her flashlight to illuminate the area.

A small body pulled itself out of a trash bin, bright blue eyes squinting at the sudden harsh light. Maddie frowned seeing the dishevelled child, discarded bag from the bakery shop in her hand.

"Are you alright?" Maddie asked, her voice laced with concern. She was near Elmerton after all, perhaps this child was from a poor family?

"Um, I..." The child, a girl from the sounds of it, shifted nervously and tried in vain to hide the baked goods behind her. "Yes?"

"Ghost five metres ahead." A computerized voice sounded causing Maddie to startle and begin to frantically look about for the ghost.

The girl stared wide-eyed at the hunter and tried to back away as slowly as possible like she was suddenly faced with a wild animal. "Don't worry dear, I'm a professional ghost hunter! I'll make sure no evil ecto-skum hurts you!" Maddie called rushing to get nearer the child in hopes of protecting her.

"Ghost one metre ahead, you must be some kind of moron to not see the ghost literally in front of you." The machine chided.

Maddie frowned unable to see the ghost, no doubt it was invisibly biding its time, and not wanting to let a bystander get hurt in the crossfire, Maddie did the only thing she could think of and scooped up the girl under her arm and bolted out of the alleyway.

The child let out a yelp of surprise, but to her benefit, she clung tight to her bounty bag. "Ghost right beside you on your left" The machine supplied helpfully.

"Not good it must be following us!" Maddie hissed out flicking the distracting sound to the machine off to focus solely on running. She kept up a steady pace for a solid ten minutes before she slowed to an eventual a stop. Taking a quick look around she couldn't see any damages or hear any sign of attack and as such deemed it safe enough to release the disgruntled child she had taken off with.

"We should be safe now." Maddie huffed out her lungs burning from the run. "Where are your parents? I'll make sure you get home safe." Maddie said as she turned to face the girl, taking in her appearance properly for the first time that night.

She had dark black hair that seemed to blend in with the shadows around her, pulled into a loose ponytail with a tattered beenie on her head. Her sweatshirt was coated in dirt and grime with her jeans in no better condition, both littered with holes. Her face was rounded, a clear sign she still had a healthy coating of baby fat, and her eyes were the same sharp crystalline blue as her own son's. The more Maddie looked at the child the more she was reminded her of her own son.

"I don't need your help." The girl growled out, eyes narrowing at the teal clad woman.

Maddie was taken aback by the force in her voice. "Where do your parents live?" She asks again trying her best to keep her own voice from cracking. She hated seeing children in such a state.

"None of your business." The girl ground out again taking a step back away from the huntress.

"You don't have any do you?" Maddie asks softly. "Are you a runaway?"

"None of your business!" She spat out once more crossing her arms over her chest in flat defiance. This was going nowhere...

"Hey baby, noticed ya movin' really fast there. Did ya get that spook?" Jack's voice came over the intercom excitedly.

"No. Could use a pick up though, middle of Elmwood. West-side." Maddie responded evenly, refusing to take her eyes off the fuming pre-teen.

"Got ya! Be there in a jiffy!" The voice in her ear boomed.

Maddie turned her full focus back to the kid attempting a different tactic. "Is there somewhere your staying?" The huntress asked softly hoping to get anything new from the girl. In response, the dark-haired pre-teen simply let out an angered huff. "What's your name?"

She was met again with narrowed icy eyes and a scowl that was so fiercely similar to her own boys when he knew he was in trouble but didn't want to tell her anything, that she was taken aback. The teal clad woman frowned slightly before trying yet another new tactic.

"My name's Maddie Fenton. Won't you tell me yours?"

That seemed to elicit surprise from the child. Her arms loosened from her chest as she spoke. "Fenton? Your name's Fenton?" There was a mix of emotion behind that question. Surprise, hope, and... fear?

"That's right, and you are?" Maddie tried again. She was hoping that now knowing she was the most qualified ghost hunter in the city would put the girl at ease.

"D- call me Ellie." She said coolly. Although Maddie chose to ignore the slip up happy to be able to call her something other than 'younger female version of my son' in her head.

"Alright, Ellie-" She was cut off from whatever she was going to say by the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle screeching around the corner and spinning to a halt only about a metre from the pair.

"Hey, baby! There's a ghost nearby right now! So hop in quick or well miss ou- oh who's this?" Jack's excited demeanour shifted slightly as blue eyes met.

"This is Ellie," Maddie said simply, "She was almost attacked down an alley. And I offered to take her somewhere safe"

"Oh!" The large man deflated slightly at the hidden command. "Well nice to meet you, princess!" Jack boomed out the driver's window, before pressing a button hidden from the girls' view to open the door.

"Come on dear, let's get you somewhere safe," Maddie said reaching down to grasp the young girls, surprisingly cold, hand.

"I was told not to go into cars with strangers," Ellie said flippantly slipping her hand free of the older woman's grasp, almost a little too easily for Maddie's liking. The girl had taken a half step back before a beeping from the truck went off.

A glowing green net shot out from the opened door catching the child off guard and knocking her down.

"I got it!" Jack called vaulting himself out of the driver's chair and towards the scared kid. "I'll get ya outta there in a jiff! Don't you worry 'bout a thing!"

"Strange the net launcher malfunctioned like that... usually the only human it goes off on is Danny..." Maddie mused moving to help her husband free the flailing mass. Just another feature this girl shared with her increasingly dodgy son.

As soon as she was free of the net the girl grabbed up the bag of discarded baked goods and tried to bolt only to ram into the bulky wall that was Jack. Concern was written on his face as he gazed down at the startled girl. "Didn't hurt ya did it?" He asked frowning.

"N-No. Get away!" She suddenly pleaded, backing away from the hunters. The Fentons advanced to her slowly arms out in a placating gesture.

"Just let us help you. You've clearly got enough residual ecto-contamination that you're setting off our equipment." Maddie said as calmly as she could.

Danny's contamination had been caused when he had gotten himself into an accident with the ghost portal they'd built, and it never really seemed to dissipate most likely due to all the ecto powered equipment he was surrounded with. It all still begged the question, what sort of things has this girl been getting into that she would have such high levels of concentration that could set off their machines?

A new alarm sounded from the RV and a portable ghost shield popped up around the vehicle, while a gun popped out making itself known on the roof of the contraption. The girl whimpered slightly seeing the ecto-gun charge. She barely managed to dodge the blast it had shot in her direction. She jumped backwards as the blast scorched the concrete she was once standing on, and awkwardly fell onto her behind. She clutched the baked goods tighter as if it was some sort of lifeline.

"Help!" She called to the sky, watching in horror as the RV tried again to realign itself to Ellie for another round.

Maddie jumped in front of the oncoming blast, hoping to shield the child, as Jack launched himself towards the still-open door of the RV in hopes to shut down the weapons.

The mounted ecto-gun's whine told Maddie it was almost at capacity and getting ready to release its charge. Thankfully Jack had made it in time, because just as the sound was about to reach it's crescendo it was abruptly cut off, allowing silence to take over.

Only the occasional sob from the panicking girl was heard on the now quieted street. But as Maddie flashed a relieved grin to her husband who returned it with a sheepish thumbs up the girl cried out again. "Keep away from me! Help!"

Maddie turned around to face the child battle-ready, and pulling out her Fenton Folding Ecto-staff, searching for the spook that had dared sneak up on her. Seeing no sign of danger she blinked in surprise, only seeing the girl, eyes wide in fear and locked on Maddie's form, as she crawled backwards on shaking hands.

"We're not trying to hurt you." Maddie offered awkwardly, taking a small step forward, Only for the girl to flinch eyes scrunched tight as if expecting to be hit across the face.

Maddie felt ashamed that a child would have this sort of reaction to her. She knelt down to try to get onto Ellie's eye level only to hear something whoosh down a little ways besides her, opposite of the Fenton RV.

The girl heard it too as she instantly shot her head up into the direction of the noise. Worry instantly bled away to joy. "Danny!" Ellie called relief flooding her voice.

Maddie turned thinking her son somehow knew the homeless child, only to freeze at what she saw.

Ellie had bolted up and ran straight to the spectre that had appeared, his green eyes blazing with an anger that was normally reserved for only a handful of ghosts he'd fought. Of course, her son wouldn't be out this late, Danny _Phantom_, however...

"Get away from her spook!" Jack called as he barreled out of the RV brandishing a Fenton Bazooka.

Seeing the weapon the girl swung around to hide behind Phantom who instantly took up a defensive stance. "Get away from the ghost Ellie!" Maddie called in shock. "We're only trying to help you!"

"I think you've done enough!" Phantom shot back, his voice cold. It was so unlike his usual chiding tone or the smug joking one he usually takes when he faces the hunters.

Quick as lightning Phantom shot a small blast at Jack knocking away the large gun just as he was aiming it. He sent another much larger blast as soon as it was airborne incinerating half of the weapon. He levelled the hunters with a harsh glare that could easily melt steel.

For a time no one moved until a sob from Ellie drew Phantom's attention. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" He asked gently. As he ripped his eyes away from the elder Fentons, they softened and became laced with such concern Maddie almost dropped her staff.

Ghosts don't care about anything that isn't directly tied to their obsession, And from what they'd observed from Phantom it was either being idolized or having the largest territory.

"M'ok" Ellie mumbled squeezing her hand into the belt of Phantom's suit. "I'm sorry I didn't listen earlier, I just wanted to surprise you..." She offered the bag of pilfered expired baked goods up to Phantom who looked as bewildered as the Fentons felt.

"I know you don't eat much anymore and I was worried..." She offered quietly. Phantom's eyes softened further as he placed a gentle hand on her back, rubbing his thumb back and forth along her shoulder in a calming motion.

Maddie couldn't help but stare. At least she now knew the source of the contamination. Phantom's eyes flicked back to hers, and for a brief moment, she saw disappointment? Hurt? Before they hardened again as he locked eyes with her and Jack.

"Ghosts don't eat." Jack supplied flatly. Even the overly boisterous ghost hunter had been pinned by Phantom's glare.

"Oh?" Phantom asked, condescension clear as a bell in his voice. "I'm sure the ghosts you've 'studied' told you that huh?" He scoffed at them before turning to the young girl again. "I know you were just trying to help, but I told you how dangerous it is out here... I don't want you to get hurt, especially not like this." He offered soothingly. It amazed Maddie just how quickly he could change his demeanour.

"What are you going to do to that girl?" Jack asked as his hands began shaking with anger, as he groped for a new pistol along his belt. Maddie extended her staff in hopes of distracting the ghost from his movement.

"None' a your business!" Ellie growled out spying the new gun that the large orange-clad man had brought forward. "Don't hurt my brother!" She called eyes now hardened to a similarly harsh glare. Quieter she added, "He's all I've got."

"Brother?" Maddie couldn' help but ask. "Ghosts don't have family." She scoffed.

Phantom's eyes snapped to her lip curling up into the beginning of a snarl, showing off sharp pointed teeth. "She is my family." He growled out low and dangerous letting the hunters know they had struck a raw nerve. "And I won't let anyone else hurt or take away my family. Even you." He stated eyes blazing bright and strong as his aura flared about him.

Maddie had only seen Phantom like this a handful of times. Never up close and never directed towards her. It was terrifying. From the way the air temperature plummeted, to the eerie shadows cast by the green-white glow, the whole mood seemed to shift. The tension in the air was so high it was palatable.

"Danny..." Ellie choked out "Can... Can we just go? I mean there's a strawberry jelly doughnut in here and I know that's your favourite."

Her words seemed to calm the raging spectre down some, his glow receding back to its normal level. "Sure." He bit out, clearly struggling to reign back his anger. "Let's go."

Sending one last glare to the hunters he picked up the mysterious Ellie and took flight making them both invisible. The elder Fentons stood stunned.

"Well... That's not something you see every day..." Jack mused aloud breaking his wife out of her stupor.

"I... I think I know what Phantom's true obsession is at least..." Maddie offered her husband shrinking back down her ecto-staff.

"Oh?" Jack asked excitement leaking back into his voice.

"I think he came back as a ghost to protect his family... But could a ghost really..." Maddie trailed off her mind reeling. It would be hard to fake concern that intricate.

Thinking back to the few times she'd seen Phantom rage like that over the year or so he's been active, Pariah Dark being the main one, the Wisconsin Ghost being another, they had seemed to stir up more personal matters to the ethereal teen. There were a handful of others, but now that she thought about it, a few of the ghosts had actually mentioned something about Phantom's sister.

Is that what prompted him to start fighting?

Jack and Maddie shared a look, gears turning in the geniuses heads. Jack grinned wide before bounding back to the RV, Maddie following at a slower pace.

"Just think of the implications of this Mads!"

"I wonder what else we missed." She agreed as she pulled herself into the front passenger's seat. The side door slid closed as Jack started the RV. "Though I do worry about that girl. Maybe we should consider looking for her and offer her a proper place to stay? I mean, I doubt Phantom has a truly livable area for humans in whatever place he's made his lair... At least judging from that girl's state..."

"Yea," Jack agreed though his face was scrunched in thought. "Though maybe we'll give it a bit. We'll just scare her off again if we follow 'em now." Though he may be overzealous at times, the large man did know how kids thought quite well.

"Your right hun." Maddie sighed, looking out the window as the scenery raced by. "I just worry about it..."

"They've made it this long, a little longer won't hurt 'em." Jack soothed.

Maddie smiled. "Oh! We'll have to tell the kids to keep an eye out for Ellie. Perhaps they'll see her near the middle school? ...She really is a Dead ringer for our Danny isn't she."

"You noticed it too? Thought it was just me." Jack shrugged fishing about in the cup holders nearest his seat for some form of sweet.

"You think we could handle three kids if it came down to it?" Maddie asked handing her husband a wrapped candy with a flirtatious smile.

"You bet'ya! 'Specially if we get to skip all the crawling and diapers and skip right to the fun part where I can blather on all about ghosts to 'em." Jack grinned widely

"'Though something tells me we'd be learning a lot more from her than the other way around... Imagine living with a ghost for a year? Or longer?" Maddie replies almost wistfully.

"Sure would be something' all right." Jack agreed.

* * *

**-Complete-**


End file.
